January 2, 2007 – Canon recently issued two safety advisories, warning customers of possible overheating with the PowerShot A530 and the A540 cameras. Canon also released information about counterfeit Li-ion batteries and chargers.
“We have discovered that in cameras where the opening/closing spring on the inside of the battery cover sticks out beyond its regular position, if a battery is put into these cameras and the battery cover is closed, it causes a short-circuit,” states the Canon website. Other problems include overheating around the battery compartment area, rapid battery depletion, and decreased number of pictures that can be taken.
Possible Canon A530 and A540 cameras that may be affected include serial numbers that start with “21,” “22,” “23,” and “24.” Canon is offering to repair defective A530 and A540 cameras at no charge to the customer, beyond normal warranty dates.
Canon also issued a safety notice about counterfeit Li-ion batteries and chargers. Marked with an imitation Canon logo, the batteries look similar to the real thing except that the “Canon” name is blurred on the mock battery. The counterfeit Canon batteries can be purchased through the Internet and may cause equipment malfunction, including overheating, liquid leaks, and in one Canon-documented case, explosion.
Customers can find the safety advisories at http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=SupportIndexAct.
